Hot workable bronze



Patented Sept. 6, 1938 UNITED STATES 2,128,954 nor WORKABLE BRONZE Richard B. Montgomery, Derby, Conn., assignor to The American Brass Company, Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut No Drawing. Application October 31, 1936,

Serial No. 108,616

4 Claims. (Cl. 75-154) This invention relates to copper-tin alloys, and more particularly'to a phosphor bronze or other deoxidized copper-tin alloy, and has for an object to produce such an alloy which is hot 5 workable.

The so called. phosphor bronzes are alloys of copper and tin deoxidized with phosphorus before pouring or casting the molten metal into suitable molds. In order to make sure the metal is properly deoxidized there is usually suflicient of the deoxidizer used so that there is a small surplus and a small amount of the deoxidizer remains in the resulting alloy.

Silicon bronzes are copper-tin alloys deoxidized with silicon before pouring or casting the metal in suitable molds.

'Other deoxidiz'ers are also used for deoxidizing the bronzes or copper-tin alloys, but phosphorus is the usual deoxidizer for the tin bronzes.

The present invention or discovery is applica- 4 ble to all the tin-bronzes within the ranges noted herein whether they are deoxidized with phosphorus, silicon or the other suitable 'deoxidizers.

All of these bronzes may be cold rolled up to about 12% tin content. These bronzes as a rule also may be hot rolled or worked up to about 2% tin content, but the hot rolling, or hot working, becomes rapidly impossible as the tin content is increased over 2%.

It has been found that the addition of 0.1% to 5% of manganese to these tin bronzes with a tin content of from 2% to 20% greatly improves the hot working characteristics as described in the copending application of Daniel R. Hull, Serial No. 108,615 filed of even date herewith, but I have found that the hot rolling characteristics are still further improved by the addition of a suitable amount of iron. I have also foundthat the addition of the proper amount of iron alone tothese tin bronzes with a tin content of from 2% to 20% greatly improves the hot working characteristics,

but that the efiect is much better where both the iron and the manganese are used. Thus a tin bronze that could not be hot rolled at I all can be easily hot rolled with the proper addition of iron, and even more so with additions of both iron and manganese.

This eifect is secured in these copper-tin alloys'with a tin content of from 2% to 20%-and balance principally-copper, the content of iron being from 0.25% to about 5%, and of manganese from 0.1% to about 5%, depending on the amount of tin. The amount of the deoxidizer, such for example as phosphorus, silicon, etc., may 5 be up to about 1% of the finished alloy, that is from 0 to about 1%.

It will be appreciated a large number of specific alloys may be made within the ranges of elements noted, but an example of an alloy that 10 hot rolls very nicely has approximately the following proportions; tin 5%, iron 0.5%, manganese 0.5%, phosphorus 0.1% and balance cop-.

per. 7

' The iron and manganese contents, or the iron 15 content when used without the man anese, may

be varied so that thesealloys ranging from 2% to 20% tin may be readily hot rolled or otherwise hot worked. The preferred amount of manganese is from 0.5% to 2%, and of iron from 0.5% 20 to 2% as these amounts give the desired effect, and it is preferred not to use more of these elements than is necessary. However, as indicated above the content of each of these elements may be as high as 5% if desired. 25

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, what I claim is:

1. .An alloy which is characterized by being hot workable comprising from 2% to 20% tin, 0.25% to 5% iron, 0.1% to 5% manganese, 0.01% 30 to 1% phosphorus and balance copper.

2. A copper-tin alloy of about 5% tin content containing approximately 0.5% iron, 0.5%manganese, 0.1% phosphorus and balance copper, said alloy being characterized by being hot work- 35 able.

3. A copper-tin alloy of from 2% to 20% tin content containing 0.5% to 2% iron, 0.5% to RICHARD B. MONTGOMERY. 

